1. plural of pettiness; instances of being concerned with trivial matters or showing a lack of generosity in small matters

Examples

• The committee meeting was bogged down by various pettinesses over minor procedural issues.
• She was tired of the office pettinesses that seemed to consume everyone’s energy.
• Their marriage suffered from accumulated pettinesses rather than any major conflict.
• The coach tried to eliminate the pettinesses among team members that were hurting morale.
• He rose above the pettinesses of local politics to focus on real solutions.
• The novel explores the pettinesses of small-town life with both humor and compassion.